BETHEL – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the nonprofit cultural arts organization located at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, has announced that it has been awarded a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) for 2020 with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. NYSCA grants support the transformative impact of the performing, literary, visual and media arts in New York State.
Bethel Woods is one of 462 arts organizations across New York State receiving a total of $8,383,993 million in grants through NYSCA’s most recent round of funding to support arts programs that drive New York State’s economic growth and community health.
Bethel Woods received funding to support P.L.A.Y. Music and Theater, which provide summer learning experiences in each discipline that allow young participants, ages 9 to 15, to walk away empowered with tools they will continue to use as young citizens who choose to engage in a creative life.
“Our P.L.A.Y. programs encourage individual expression, social consciousness, and cultural engagement,” said Darlene Fedun, Chief Executive Officer, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. “We are grateful for the ongoing support from NYSCA; the organization has provided funding to our arts education program for young people for the past four years. The support of the arts council has truly been helpful.”
“The arts and culture are a critical driver of health in people and places,” said Mara Manus, Executive Director, New York State Council on the Arts. “Our state’s creative industries generate a total of $120 billion to the state economy, account for 466,000 jobs, and play a significant role in revitalization, education and social justice.”
NYSCA support goes to museums, theaters, and arts organizations that drive tourism and anchor communities and arts education programs essential to learning for all ages, including public school students, aging populations and at-risk youth.
NYSCA grants also support creative arts programs promoting physical and mental health and personal and professional development in historically under-served and vulnerable communities, including those in geographically remote areas; disabled communities; impoverished and homeless populations; and justice-involved youth and adults.
“New York’s cultural sector is a driving force in our state’s economy,” said Katherine Nicholls, Chair, New York State Council on the Arts. “As our arts organizations expand their audiences and programs with NYSCA support, we will serve many more New Yorkers and build the vitality of our communities statewide.”
The most recent NYSCA grant awards were made through the agency’s Arts Education, Special Arts Services, Museum, Theatre, Music, Dance, Literature, and Visual Arts Programs. Additional NYSCA funding will be announced in late 2019, including support for presenting organizations, individual artist commissions, and, through the Regional Economic Development Council, programs driving economic growth and building New York State’s workforce.
